PUBLIC HOUSING TOPICS:
ADMISSIONS AND CONTINUED OCCUPANCY POLICY
PHA 5-YEAR / 2005 ANNUAL PLAN
WHAT IS PUBLIC HOUSING?
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
HOW DO I APPLY?
HOW DOES THE APPLICATION
PROCESS WORK?
WILL I NEED TO PRODUCE
ANY DOCUMENTATION?
WHEN WILL I BE NOTIFIED?
WILL I HAVE TO SIGN
A LEASE?
ARE THERE ANY SELECTION
PREFERENCES?
HOW IS RENT DETERMINED?
HOW LONG CAN I
STAY IN PUBLIC HOUSING?
TECHNICAL GUIDANCE
WHAT
IS PUBLIC HOUSING? 
Public housing is an affordable rental-housing program
for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and
persons with disabilities. Public housing comes
in all sizes and types, from two-bedroom to five-bedroom
single-family houses and one-bedroom units for the
elderly. GHURA has 751 public housing units located
throughout Guam. The U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) administers Federal
aid to GHURA to manage the housing for low-income
residents at rents they can afford.
WHO
IS ELIGIBLE?
Public housing is limited to low-income families
and individuals. The lower income limits are at
80% and very low-income limits are at 50% of the
median income for Guam. GHURA’s Housing
Services Division can tell you the income levels
for Guam by family size, or you can also find
the income limits here on the Internet. [Link
to Public Housing Income Limits] GHURA determines
your eligibility based on:
Annual gross income;
Whether you qualify as elderly, a person with
a disability, or as a family; and
U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status.
HOW DO I
APPLY?
If you are interested in applying for public housing,
contact the GHURA Housing Services Division at
671-477-9851 or pick up an application at the
GHURA Main Office located at 117 Bien Venida Avenue,
Sinajana, Guam.
HOW DOES
THE APPLICATION PROCESS WORK?
You will fill it out an applicant for public housing.
GHURA needs to collect the following information
to determine eligibility:
Names of all persons who would be living in the
unit, their sex, date of birth, and relationship
to the family head;
Your present address and telephone number;
Family characteristics (e.g., veteran) or circumstances
that might qualify the family for tenant selection
preferences;
Names and addresses of your current and previous
landlords for information about your family's
suitability as a tenant;
An estimate of your family's anticipated income
for the next twelve months and the sources of
that income; and
The names and addresses of employers, banks, and
any other information GHURA would need to verify
your income and deductions, and to verify the
family composition.
A representative from GHURA’s Housing Services
Division will describe the public housing program
and its requirements, and answer any questions
you might have.
WILL I NEED
TO PRODUCE ANY DOCUMENTATION?
Yes, a GHURA representative will request whatever
documentation is needed (e.g., birth certificates,
tax returns) to verify the information given on
your application. GHURA will also rely on direct
verification from your employer, etc. You will
be asked to sign a form to authorize release of
pertinent information to the GHURA.
WHEN
WILL I BE NOTIFIED?
GHURA will provide written notification. If GHURA
determines that you are eligible, your name will
be put on a waiting list, unless GHURA is able
to assist you immediately. Once your name is reached
on the waiting list, GHURA will contact you. If
it is determined that you are ineligible, GHURA
will explain why and, if you wish, you can request
an informal hearing.
WILL I HAVE
TO SIGN A LEASE?
If you are offered a house or apartment and accept
it, you will have to sign a lease with GHURA.
You will have to give GHURA a security deposit.
ARE
THERE ANY SELECTION PREFERENCES?
Include a description of the selection preference
here.
HOW
IS RENT DETERMINED? 
Your rent, which is referred to as the Total Tenant
Payment (TTP), would be based on your family's
anticipated gross annual income less deductions,
if any. HUD regulations allow GHURA to exclude
from annual income the following allowances:
$480 for each dependent;
$400 for any elderly family, or a person with
a disability; and
Some medical deductions for families headed by
an elderly person or a person with disabilities.
Based on your application, a GHURA representative
will determine if any of the allowable deductions
should be subtracted from your annual income.
Annual income is the anticipated total income
from all sources received from the family head
and spouse, and each additional member of the
family 18 years of age or older. The formula used
in determining the TTP is the highest of the following,
rounded to the nearest dollar:
30 percent of the monthly-adjusted income. (Monthly
Adjusted Income is annual income less deductions
allowed by the regulations);
Welfare rent, if applicable; or
A $25 minimum rent.
HOW LONG
CAN I STAY IN PUBLIC HOUSING?
In general, you may stay in public housing as
long as you comply with the lease and as long
as your family’s income is with in the public
housing income limits.
TECHNICAL
GUIDANCE:
The Public Housing program regulations are at
24 CFR Part 960. Additional information about
the Public Housing program can be found by visiting
the Public Housing program web pages at the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development web
site.
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